Collection Development Policy
Purpose
The purpose of these rules and regulations is to facilitate the building of a diversified library collection of merit and significance that reflects the interests and needs of the community.
Criteria for Selection
The Library Director shall consider several factors follows in making selections. Not all the following factors apply to every book or material format to be considered. Works of imagination are judged on different factors than are works of information or opinion.
• Purpose: use of material, factual information, general knowledge or information.
• Authorship: professional and literary significance of the author.
• Authority: especially inclusion in indexes, bibliographies, other professional references for all material formats.
• Opinions: attention to critics, reviewers and the public.
• Scope: comprehensiveness and depth of treatment.
• Content: objectivity, clarity, accuracy and logic of presentation.
• Presentation: presentation in a manner appropriate for the intended audience.
• Suitability of subject and style for the intended audience.
• Suitability of physical format for library use.
• Timeliness: present and potential relevance to community needs representation of important movement, genre, or trend of culture.
• Relation to existing library collection and other materials on the subject and availability of materials in the surrounding geographic area.
• Cost: budget guidelines, stability and needs.
• Publisher: reputation and sustained presence in the marketplace.
• Gift materials shall be accepted using the same criteria as purchased material.
Community standards for St. Tammany Parish shall be considered when acquiring library material that would be accessible to a minor through donation or purchase. The library uses a number of metrics to determine community standards:
• Usage statistics gathered from the Integrated Library System, including circulation numbers and number of holds for specific items
• Patron requests
• Feedback from branch staff
• Titles assigned to students in the public and parochial school sytems
• Parish demographics
The Library shall follow all Louisiana laws and St. Tammany Parish ordinances that pertain to the purchasing and placement of library materials. Materials cataloged in the children’s (Juvenile) and teen’s (Young Adult) collections shall not contain sexually explicit material, textual, visual, or audio, produced in any medium, that depicts or describes sexual conduct as defined by La. R.S. 25:225B(3) or the most recent version which is adopted herein by reference.
Additional Criteria for the Selection of Non-Book and Special Materials
A. Audio cassettes/CDs for adults and juveniles shall be selected on the same criteria standards as books and other library material.
B. Compact discs shall be selected on importance of composers, performing organizations, conductors and quality of reproduction.
C. A collection of literacy materials shall be maintained to cooperate with local efforts to teach literacy skills to beginning readers.
D. Newspapers provide a valuable, current source of local and regional information and shall be selected first upon their local value and secondly upon space availability.
E. Pamphlets shall be selected using the same criteria that are used for books.
F. Paperbacks or soft cover books which supplement the hardcover book collection of the library shall use the same selection criteria as for hardcover materials.
G. Periodicals are often the most current source of information that has yet or may never appear in book form. An important consideration shall be the availability of content through indexes, abstracts and bibliographies.
H. Textbooks are selected only when no other material in a given field is available. Students’ demand for textbooks should be satisfied by attending schools/colleges.
I. Audio Visuals
• Audio visuals collection shall concentrate on self-education, self-improvement, informational, recreational, and general entertainment videos.
• To serve all levels of the public, Audio Visuals have no restrictive time frame for purchase.
J. Electronic Databases shall be selected on many of the same factors as used for print materials.
